Process of pumping oil-wells.



P. JONES. PROCESS OF PUMPING OIL WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1914.

Patented June 30, 1914.

carbons which are now earried in vaporous STATES PATENT orrioa.

PHILIP JONES, OF SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF PUMPING OIL-WELLS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP JoNEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Maria, in the county of Santa Barbara, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Pumping Oil- Wells, of whichthe followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the method of pumping oil Wells by what is now known as the air lift'method; and the invention consists ztundamentally in provision of rireaiis whereby the lighter hydroform in the air may be separated and saved instead of being lost as is now the case. r

The present practice in pumping oil wells byair lift is to force compressed air through an air pipe to the bottom of a tubing or flow pipe in the well and to release the air in the tubing to form a column of mixed oil and air which is lighter than the column of oil standing outside the flow pipe. The column of mixed oil and air is raised and continuous flow is caused by an unbalanced pressure of the column outside the flow pipe. The quantity of air depends entirely upon conditions. under which thepump is operated;

but in many cases the volume of air far exceeds the volume of oil pumped. This air,

some gas which will not support combustion of the hydro-carbons, and by the provision of means (including compression) for separating and savin the lighter hydrocarbons.

One aspect o my invention is that of pumping a well with a gaseous fluid and separating and saving the lighter hydro-carbons which are ordinarily lost.

Another aspect of my invention is the;

separation of mixed hydro-carbons into different fractions.

, It will be seen from the following specification that, although I describe my inven: tion' as particularly applied to pumping oil Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented June 30, 1914.

Application filed March16, 1914. Serial No. 824,843.

wells, yet my invention may be applied to the separation of lighter hydro-carbons from a mixture of hydro-carbons regardless of whether the mixed hydro-carbons are in a well or in a tank or the like.

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a mechanism for carrying out the preferred form of my invention, the single view being a diagram of the various parts in section. In these drawings the numeral 10 may designate the casing of a well, 11 the flow pipe thereof, and 12 the pipe through which compressed gas is forced to the bottom of the flow pipe 11. The.relative-arrangement of the flow pipe and gas pipe is of no consequence so far as my present in-' vention is concerned, excepting that the gas pipe delivers the gas to the lower end of the flow pipe in such a manner that the column of oil inside the flow pipe is lightened while- 'through the gas pipe 12; and the mixed oil and gas will emerge through the top of the flow pipe 11 into a separator tank 13. In this separator tank there is little or no pres sure, due to the factthat the gas has expanded as it rises through the flow pipe, and

the work delivered by the compressor to the gas has been expended by. the gas in rising through the flow pipe. The gas with the vapor of the lighter hydro-carbons will ass through a pipe 14: to the compressor 15 w ere the gas and vapors are compressed, and

thence pass through a suitable condenser 16 and thence into a suitable separator 17. In this separator the condensed vapors are separated from the fixed ases, and the 'fixed gases pass again throng the pipe 18 back to perature to which the gases and vapors are lowered in the condenser 16 will, of course,

depend upon the temperature necessary to condense the vapors and cause their separation from the fixed gases.

' vIn its morespecific aspect, my invention is for the purposeof pumplng oil j Wells by 'means of the compressed fluid system without the loss of the lighter hydro-carbons. It'is this aspect of my invention that I wish to particularly secure to myself in the following claims; it being understood that I do not limit myself specifically to the exact details of the method or mechanism herein set forth but only to the fundamental steps necessary for carrying on my invention as p v herein described.

I claim:

- 1. The herein described method of -pumping oil Wells, comp-rising the formation of a I column. .of mixed oil and. a gas incapable of supporting combustion the separation of the oil and gas, and the separation of the gas and the Vapors carried thereby'by means including compression.

- 2. The herein described method of pumping oil Wells, column of mixed oil and a gas incapable of 'day of February 1914.

comprising the formation of a supporting combustion, the separation of the oil and gas, and' the separation of the gas and the vapors carried thereby by means including compression and cooling.

3. The herein. described method of pumpingoil Wells, comprising the formation of a column of mixed oil and natural gas in bal- -Witnesses:

J. E, SMITH, 'IHoMAs PREISKEY;

gas and b means in? V y 45 name this 23d PHILIP Jonas 

